Law enforcement officers want people to beware of scams - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Don’t be fooled

Here are some warning signs of telemarketing fraud — what a caller may tell you:

• “You must act ‘now’ or the offer won’t be good.”

• “You’ve won a ‘free’ gift, vacation or prize.” But you have to pay for “postage and handling” or other charges.

• “You must send money, give a credit card or bank account number, or have a check picked up by courier.” You may hear this before you have had a chance to consider the offer carefully.

• “You don’t need to check out the company with anyone.” The callers say you do not need to speak to anyone including your family, lawyer, accountant, local Better Business Bureau or consumer protection agency.

• “You don’t need any written information about the company or their references.”

• “You can’t afford to miss this ‘high-profit, no-risk’ offer.”

If you hear these or similar “lines” from a telephone salesperson, just say “no thank you” and hang up.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

BENTONVILLE -- Jason Kilby thought he was going to drive from North Carolina to Bentonville to pay a fine his wife incurred for not reporting for jury duty.

Then the caller made one statement that caught his attention as he listened to his wife talk through the speaker on her phone. The caller, claiming to be a Benton County sheriff's deputy, told his wife she had signed the paperwork confirming she would report to jury duty.

Kilby said he's never served on a jury, but he's never heard of anyone signing a notification to report for jury service.

"He made it sound legit," Kilby said of the caller.

Kilby and his wife received the telephone call last week. The caller left a voicemail. They called the number. A message claimed to be the Benton County Sheriff's Office and even gave them options for different departments.

Kilby's wife received a second call, and the person identified himself as "Sgt. Taylor" with the Sheriff's Office.

Taylor told Kilby's wife she had missed jury duty March 18, and Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green issued warrants for her arrest for failure to appear and contempt of court.

The couple lived in Benton County until moving to North Carolina last year.

Kilby said he started thinking at that moment the two would drive back to Arkansas to take care of the warrants.

Taylor said she could pay $1,825 as some sort of bond in order for her not to have return to Arkansas to take care of the warrant, Kilby said.

After the caller's comment about signing the notification, Kilby called the Benton County Sheriff's Office and spoke to someone in the warrants division. He was told no sergeant named Taylor works for the office and his wife had no warrants. Kilby said he let the Sheriff's Office employee listen as the pretend deputy was talking to his wife.

"The detail that he went through, you wouldn't believe he wasn't a cop," Kilby said. "This is crazy, and to use Judge Green, an actual judge. These people are really hardcore."

Lt. Shannon Jenkins, a spokeswoman for the Benton County Sheriff's Office, said the scam is not unusual. She said perpetrators sometimes make up names of someone who supposedly works at the Sheriff's Office, and some people have even used the names of actual employees.

"We are never going to ask someone to pay by phone," Jenkins said. "We absolutely aren't going to ask anyone to go to a store and get a gift card."

Keith Foster, a spokesman for the Rogers Police Department, said the department gets similar reports from time to time, but it usually comes in waves.

Green said she is grateful for the people who called her office to let her know of the scam.

"I was shocked and disheartened to hear that my name was being used to try to scare and coerce citizens as part of this scam," Green said. "I encourage anyone who has not yet reported it to please contact the Sheriff's Office as soon as possible."

Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said using a judge's name would be a new twist on a common phone scam.

"It doesn't ring a bell with me where they're using a judge's name," Helder said. "Generally, it's someone in the Sheriff's Office. They'll call and talk to you or leave a number for you to call, and when they answer it, they'll say something like, 'This is Jay Cantrell with the Washington County Sheriff's Office.' They're real convincing until they get to the part about needing to go to Walmart to buy a money order or a gift card."

Helder said anyone receiving such a call needs to hang up as quickly as possible.

"We don't do that," Helder said. "You should hang up and call the nonemergency number for the Sheriff's Office or whatever court they say they're with and ask the people there about it."

Capt. Jeff Taylor with the Springdale Police Department said he was not aware of any phone scams being reported in Springdale where a judge's name was being used.

Jenkins said warnings have been issued about the scams for years, but unfortunately some people end up falling victim.

"I think the best thing to do if you get a call like that is to call the police department it is supposed to be coming from and ask them if it's real," Foster said. "And look the number for the police up; don't trust any number they give you."

Arrests are difficult to make in such cases because it's hard to track the calls. The perpetrators use falsified numbers, which makes it difficult for law enforcement to make arrests, Jenkins said.

Kilby said people need to pay close attention to the callers and listen to every word. The part about the signature was the game changer for him.

"That's when I realized this is a scam," he said.

Jenkins wants people to be alert, but also remember how law enforcement works.

"If we want you bad enough, we are not going to call and ask for money," she said. "We are not going to call and give you a warning. We are going to come get you."

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